PRENATAL
Did you know your baby can hear you, even before they are born? Babies will begin to respond to language in-utero, and this will prime their brains for early language nutrition.
What's happening before birth:
Your baby can hear you, and can begin learning language even now! Begin reading to, talking, singing or even humming to your baby. This will help your baby get used to your voice and begin to recognize what makes up language. Rubbing, patting or touching your tummy throughout the day, is another way to communicate with your unborn baby. Because a baby’s brain is constantly developing, connections in the brain will increase and become stronger each time your baby hears new words.
What most babies do before they are born:
- Recognize mother’s voice
- Respond to mother rubbing her tummy
- Startle to loud noises
- Can see light
- Open and close eyes
- Hear external noises and conversations
- Gain preference for native language
- Make facial expressions
- Recognize rhythm and patterns of stories and rhymes
- Recognize mother’s voice (and later, father’s)
- Hear sounds of mothers body
- Suck thumb
- Detect strong flavors
- Detect temperature, pain and pressure
- Kick, squirm, move around
- Turn head from side to side
- Open and close hands
- Open and close eyes
- Suck, swallow and yawn
- Curl toes
- Stretch
- Hiccup
Act early by talking to a doctor if you:
- Are bleeding or leaking fluid
- Have sudden or severe swelling in the face, hands, or fingers
- Get severe or long-lasting headaches
- Have discomfort, pain, or cramping in the lower abdomen
- Have a fever or chills
- Are vomiting or have persistent nausea
- Feel discomfort, pain, or burning with urination
- Have problems seeing or blurred vision
- Feel dizzy
- Suspect your baby is moving less than normal after 28 weeks of pregnancy
- Have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
Additional Resources:
BIRTH
Hello, world! Your baby is listening, absorbing, and responding from their first moment in the world. Use a soft, sing-song voice to talk early and often with your baby.
What's happening at birth
Language learning starts at birth. Your baby absorbs a huge amount of information about sounds, words and talking from the environment. Your baby listens to the speech of those close by, and startles or cries if there is an unexpected noise. Your womb was a warm and cozy environment, and it'll take time for your baby to adjust to the various sights, sounds, and sensations of life outside your body. Your baby spends most of these first few days moving in and out of several different states of sleepiness, quiet alertness, and active alertness. Talk with your baby using parentese (a sing-song voice) about what you are doing, as you watch your baby’s personality develop.
Look for these expected behaviors at birth:
- Depend on parents/caregivers
- Sleep a lot
- Like to be undisturbed
- Have rooting, sucking and swallowing reflexes
- Cry when hungry, unattended to or in pain
- Startle at noises
- Turn towards lights, providing it is not too bright
- Cry to get needs met
- Make eye contact
- Make sounds to show joy and displeasure
- Startle at loud sounds
- Notice when sounds start and stop (a vacuum cleaner, the ring of a telephone, etc.)
- Follow moving lights with their eyes
- Prefer the faces of their parents to those of other people
- Turn in the direction of sounds
- Focus their eyes on objects up to a foot away
- Constantly look around at various people and things
- Kick their arms and legs in a jerky, uncoordinated way
- Suck from a breast or bottle
- Wriggle and squirm on your lap or in their cribs
- Raise their hands to mouths or eyes
- Turn their heads when you touch their cheeks
- Cry, scream, gurgle, sneeze, blink, and engage in other natural reflexes
- Wake up numerous times during the night (every two to three hours) for feedings
- By reflex, grasp an object or finger that is placed in their hand
- Keep hands closed in fists
Talk to your doctor if you notice your child:
- Frequently resists being held
- Keeps fists closed most of the time
- Does not cry when hungry or uncomfortable
- Does not notice or respond to loud sounds
- Unable to latch on while nursing or bottle feeding
- Loses a lot of breast milk or formula out of side of mouth while feeding
Additional Resources:
2 WEEKS
Your baby is already communicating with you, using cries to get your attention. Talk softly to your baby while holding them close to your face and repeat the small sounds your baby makes to encourage your baby to communicate more.
What's happening at 2 weeks
By two weeks your baby can focus on objects 8 to 14 inches away—just about the distance between your baby’s eyes and yours during breastfeeding. In fact, babies this age prefer faces to other objects. By looking at your baby during feeding, you'll encourage you baby to practice focusing. As you feed your baby, move your head slowly from side to side and see if baby’s eyes follow you. This helps build your baby’s eye muscles and tracking skills. At two weeks, you may notice your baby is starting to coo and smile. Make sure you respond to your baby’s attempts to talk with you.
Look for these expected behaviors at 2 weeks:
- Make gurgling sounds when they’re content.
- Smile occasionally in their sleep.
- Cry frequently (this is a reflex, not an expression of sadness!).
- Enjoy looking at their parents’ faces. • Are responsive to your mood (i.e. irritable when you’re irritable).
- Calm down when you pick them up and when you speak in a slow, rhythmic, gentle voice.
- Turn their heads towards sound or voice
- Become quiet or smile in response to sound
- Show interest in faces
- Make eye contact
- Cry differently for different needs (e.g. hungry vs. tired)
- Coo or make sounds other than crying
- Try to reach up to touch dangling objects (ex., a mobile over their cribs).
- Fuss or cry if bored or not stimulated.
- Closely examine complex and colorful designs, shapes, and colors.
- Recognize people and things from a longer distance away.
- Make smoother and more controlled movements.
- Lift their heads for a few seconds when lying on tummy.
- Grasp whatever is placed in hand.
- Attempt to lift head when lying on their stomachs.
- Begin to open their hands when at rest.
- Attempt to push up on arms when lying on their stomachs.
- Begin to wave their arms and legs in more coordinated, rather than jerky, motions.
- Follow you with their eyes as you walk across the room.
Talk to your doctor if you notice your child:
- Has stiff legs with little or no movement
- Keeps hands fisted and lacks arm movement
- Does not make eye contact or smile at caregiver
- Pushes back with head while lying on back
- Does not enjoy different types of movement
- Does not follow an object with their eyes
- Has difficulty lifting head (from your shoulder or while lying on tummy)
Additional Resources:
1 MONTH
Your baby is experimenting and looking to you for a response. Encourage your baby’s communication by mimicking the sounds your baby makes (“oohs” and “ahhs”). Keep a running conversation with your baby whenever you are together.
What's happening at 1 month:
At one month old, your baby is laying the groundwork for speech with every sound she makes. Have you noticed your baby using her vocal chords in ways other than crying? She may coo and make "ahh" sounds this month, especially when she sees mom or dad. Babies learn by mimicking—so replay her sounds back to her. She not only loves the attention, but she's also finding out that her voice has power: she calls, you appear! Hearing you speak (besides being music to your baby's ears) is the best way to get your baby speaking and understanding.
Look for these expected behaviors at 1 month:
- Suck well
- Cry for help
- Make eye contact
- Bring hands to face
- Respond to parents' smiles and voices
- Focus on faces, bold shapes, designs and colors
- Coos, gurgles, sighs, and grunts
- Makes eye contact with you to show her interest
- Cries to let you know when she is hungry, tired, hot, cold, bored, sick, or wants to be held.
- Pulls back, or turns away from you to show that she needs a break.
- Is startled by loud sounds
- Notices when loud sounds start and stop (a vacuum cleaner, telephone, etc.).
- Follow moving lights with their eyes.
- Prefer the faces of their parents to those of other people.
- Turn in the direction of sounds.
- Focus their eyes on objects up to a foot away.
- Constantly looks around at various people and things.
- Kick their arms and legs.
- Wriggle and squirm on your lap or in their cribs.
- Raise their hands to their mouths or eyes.
- Be startled by sudden movements or noises.
- Turn their heads when you touch their cheeks.
- Cry, scream, gurgle, sneeze, blink, and engage in other natural reflexes.
- Grasp an object or finger that is placed in their hand (by reflex).
Talk to your doctor if you notice your child:
- Doesn’t seem to focus his/her eyes or watch things moving nearby
- Doesn’t react to bright lights
- Seems especially stiff or floppy
- Doesn’t respond to loud sounds
Additional Resources:
2 MONTHS
How your child plays, learns, speaks, and acts offers important clues about your child’s development. Developmental milestones are things most children can do by a certain age.
What's happening at 2 months:
- Your baby is beginning to smile at people, can briefly calm herself and tries to look at people she knows. She may coo, make gurgling sounds and pays attention to peoples’ faces.
- From now on, when you ask her a question, pause for a few seconds afterward and then give her the answer.
- For example: You might say, “Are you wet? (Pause). Of course you are, Sweet Girl. Let’s get you changed.”
- If she gets upset or cries, provide words for how she is feeling.
- You might ask her if she is wet or cold, or sleepy, or if something made her mad. By giving her feelings words, you help her later on when you want her to tell you what is wrong.
Look for these expected behaviors at 2 months:
- Begins to smile at people
- Can briefly calm himself (may bring hands to mouth and suck on hand)
- Tries to look at parent Coos, makes gurgling sounds
- Turns head toward sounds
- Pays attention to faces
- Begins to follow things with eyes and recognize people at a distance
- Begins to act bored (cries, fussy) if activity doesn't change.
- Can hold head up and begins to push up when lying on tummy
- Makes smoother movements with arms and legs
Talk to your doctor if you notice your child:
- Doesn't respond to loud sounds
- Doesn't watch things as they move
- Doesn't smile at people
- Doesn't bring hands to mouth
- Can't hold head up when pushing up when on tummy
Additional Resources:
4 MONTHS
What's happening at 4 months:
At four months old, your baby's personality is developing. Your baby can be a lot of fun and will likely attempt to carry on a conversation with you, or anyone else around them. Talk with your baby often as you dress, feed, and bathe your baby, and narrate your actions as you do so. Repeat sounds often and try to get your baby to mimic them, like “Want to play with the b-b-ball?” and “It’s time for your b-b-bottle.”
Look for these expected behaviors at 4 months:
- Smiles spontaneously, especially at people
- Likes to play with people and might cry when playing stops
- Copies some movements and facial expressions (smiling, frowning)
- Begins to babble
- Babbles with expression and copies sounds he hears
- Cries in different ways to show hunger, pain or being tired
- Lets you know if she is happy or sad
- Responds to action
- Reaches for toy with one hand
- Uses hands and eyes together, such as seeing a toy and reaching for it
- Follows moving things with eyes from side to side
- Watches faces closely
- Recognizes familiar people and things at a distance
- Holds head steady, unsupported
- Pushes down on legs when feet are on a hard surface
- May be able to roll over from tummy to back
- Can hold a toy and shake it and swing at dangling toys
- Brings hands to mouth
- When lying on stomach, pushes up to elbow
Talk to your doctor if you notice your child:
- Doesn't watch things as they move
- Doesn't smile at people
- Can't hold head steady
- Doesn't coo or make sounds
- Doesn't bring things to mouth
- Doesn't push down with legs when feet are on a hard surface
- Has trouble moving one or both eyes in all directions
Additional Resources:
6 MONTHS
By six months, your baby’s personality is in full bloom. Every sound your baby hears and makes at this stage is laying the groundwork for speech and language development. Make sure you keep talking!
What's happening at 6 months:
Your baby can play games with you, so mix language into your exchanges. Take turns making sounds, talking, or singing, and play games that encourage your baby to repeat sounds. For example, you could say “The sheep says ‘baa’” and then ask your baby, “What does the sheep say?” Your baby is also becoming more aware of you as a separate person, and may begin to fear separation. A good way to help calm your baby’s fear of being alone is by playing games like "peek-a-boo."
Look for these expected behaviors at 6 months:
- Knows familiar faces and begins to know if someone is a stranger
- Likes to play with others, especially parents
- Responds to other people's emotions and often seems happy
- Likes to look at self in a mirror
- Responds to sounds by making sounds
- Strings vowels together when babbling (ah, eh, oh)
- Responds to own name
- Makes sounds to show joy and displeasure
- Begins to say consonant sounds (jabbering with m, b)
- Looks around at things nearby
- Brings things to mouth
- Shows curiosity about things and tries to get at those out of reach
- Begins to pass things from one hand to the other
- Rolls over in both directions (front to back, back to front)
- Begins to sit without support
- When standing, supports weight on legs and might bounce
- Rocks back and forth, sometimes crawling backward before forward
Talk to your doctor if you notice your child:
- Doesn't try to get things that are in reach
- Shows no affection for caregivers
- Doesn't respond to sounds around him
- Has difficulty getting things to mouth
- Doesn't make vowel sounds (ah, eh, oh)
- Doesn't roll over in either direction
- Doesn't laugh or make squealing sounds
- Seems very stiff, with tight muscles
- Seems very floppy, like a rag doll
Additional Resources:
9 MONTHS
At nine months, you’ll start to hear emerging baby speech patterns. Get ready for lots of babbling as your baby will soon be able to follow a simple command, like “Give Mommy the cup.” Babies at this age also have a great time mimicking you by mirroring your facial expressions and echoing your sounds.
What's happening at 9 months:
Your bright, babbling baby might be developing the ability to grab anything within reach, so be mindful to keep harmful objects out of sight. Help test your baby’s verbal skills and learn to connect words to meaning by incorporating gestures into your communication. Shaking your head from side to side when you say the word, “no,” waving when you say, “bye-bye,” and pointing to the ball when you say, “go get the ball” will help your baby understand what you’re saying.
Look for these expected behaviors at 9 months:
- May be afraid of strangers
- May be clingy with familiar adults
- Smiles and laughs while looking at you
- Has favorite toys
- Understands "no"
- Makes a lot of different sounds like “mamamama" and “babababa”
- Uses voice to make different sounds to express emotion
- Copies sounds and gestures of others
- Uses early gestures like giving and reaching to request
- Uses fingers to point at things
- Watches the path of something as it falls
- Looks for things he sees you hide
- Plays peek-a-boo
- Puts things in their mouth
- Moves things smoothly from one hand to the other
- Picks up things like cereal Os between thumb and index finger
- Stands, holding on
- Can get into sitting position
- Sits without support
- Pulls to stand
- Crawls
Talk to your doctor if you notice your child:
- Doesn't bear weight on legs with support
- Doesn't sit with help
- Doesn't babble (mama, baba, dada)
- Doesn't play any games involving back-and-forth play
- Doesn't respond to own name
- Doesn't seem to recognize familiar people
- Doesn't look where you point
- Doesn't transfer toys from one hand to the other
Additional Resources:
1 YEAR
Happy birthday, baby! Help your toddler identify their world with words by mixing language into everything you do. Put words to their gestures and help them identify things in their environment.
What's happening at 1 year:
Your little one is listening to everything you say and storing it away at an incredible rate. Instead of using "baby" words, use the correct names for people, places, and things. Speak slowly and clearly, and keep it simple. Provide words for your child’s gestures—when they point at the refrigerator ask, “Would you like some juice?” Play games that help your child identify the environment— ask, “Where is Daddy?” or “Can you show me where your nose is?
Look for these expected behaviors at 1 year:
- Is shy or nervous with strangers
- Cries when mom or dad leaves
- Has favorite things and people
- Shows fear in some situations
- Hands you a book when he wants to hear a story
- Repeats sounds or actions to get attention
- Puts out arm or leg to help with dressing
- Plays games such as “peek-a-boo” and “pat-a-cake”
- Responds to simple spoken requests
- Uses simple gestures, like shaking head “no” or waving “bye-bye”
- Makes sounds with changes in tone (sounds more like speech)
- Says “mama” and “dada” and exclamations like “uh-oh!”
- Tries to say words you say
- Explores things in different ways, like shaking, banging, throwing
- Finds hidden things easily
- Looks at the right picture or thing when it’s named
- Copies gestures • Starts to use things correctly; for example, drinks from a cup, brushes hair
- Bangs two things together
- Puts things in a container, takes things out of a container
- Lets things go without help
- Pokes with index (pointer) finger
- Follows simple directions like “pick up the toy”
- Gets to a sitting position without help
- Pulls up to stand, walks holding on to furniture (“cruising”)
- May take a few steps without holding on
- May stand alone
Talk to your doctor if you notice your child:
- Doesn't respond to loud sounds
- Doesn't watch things as they move
- Doesn't smile at people
- Doesn't bring hands to mouth
- Can't hold head up when pushing up when on tummy
Additional Resources:
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